Improved vessel for petroleum



- state.'

UNiTED STATESv PATENT FFICE.

JOSEPH' BRAKELEY, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

impact/Ee VESSEL Foa PETROLEUM.

Specification formingl part of'Lettei-s Ila trut No. 52,028, dated January I6, 1866. 4

To all whom tzt/may concer-7L:

`Be it known that l, J osera BRAKELEY, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented an Improved Vessel t'or Containing Petroleum and otherFluids; and I do hereby declare Athe following to be a full, cle-.11',and exa-ct description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters ot' reference marked thereon.

My invention consists of.' a barrel or other vessel, through the solid wood composing which passages are formed for the reception of water or other-Huid, which, permeating the iibers ot' the wood, maintains the w hole vessel so tightas to prevent such contents as petroleum and other penetrating uids from escaping. v

My invention further consists in the use, Vin

' combination with the above, of a hydroscopic agent which will absorb moisture from the atinosphere and transfer itto the wood, thereby maintaining the vessel in the desired swollen In order to enable others to make and use my invention, I will now proceed to describe the manner, in which it may be carried into eifect.

On ret'ereneeto the accompanying drawings, which form a part ot' this specification, Figure l is a vertical section ot my improved barrel for containing petroleum and other iiuids, and Figui a sectional-plan on the line l 2, Fig. l. i

A represents the body, B the bottom, and U the heads, ot the barrel. The body is made of a series ot' staveS, as usual, but instead of being solid they are bored through edgewise at intervals and at suitable angles', a hole in one stave coinciding', or nearly coinciding, with a hole in the adjacent stave, so that there may be a circuitous or zigzag passage or passages throughout the entire body of the barrel. In the present instance the stavesare so bored as to form spiral passages communicating with the space a between the two pieces l and bl, which form the head C ot' the barrel, 'Ihus the said space u communicates, through a passage, (l, with the hole e, which is continued in the spiral course (indicated by dotted lines) through the stares downward to the passage j', through which the spiral channel comuninicates with an annular chamber, ll, formed in th; staves near the bottom ot' the barrel. In like manner another spiral passage, c,t'orms a communication between the space a, and the said annular chamber li,- and there may be and these passages maY be arranged at any inclination which may be deemed most appropriate, the object being to make such openings and passages through the staves that water or other ljuid passing through the same will perbarrel Yin that swollen condition which will insure its complete tightness.

In the head ot' the barrel are two holes, and j, the first having no communication with the space a., but forming the usual,bung-hole through which the barrel is filled, and4 through which its contents may be withdrawn. The hole j passes through the upper piece, b, only of the head U, and is the opening through which the space a. and passages communicating therewith are filled with water or other Huid, referred to hereinafter. Ioth holes are tlled with appropriate detachable Stoppers.

'Ilie space uy in the head ot' the barrel may be dispensed with and the passages through the staves filled with fluid through openings made inthe barrel at any suitable points, these openings being plugged after the passages have been tilled. I prefer the use ot' a space or reservoir, however, for containing a supply ot' fluid over and above that required to till the passages, whether that reservoir be formed in the head otl the barrel, as illustrated and described, or in the upperport'ion ofthe stavcs, or otherwise.

In pla-ce ot' water I propose to introduce into the passages formed througlrthe staves ot' the barrel water in which chloride ot' calcium or other substance has been dissolved, in order to convert the water into a lrvdroscopic tluid, which, on passing through the pores ot' the plierc, and thus maintain the barrel in the desired damp and swollen state to insure its thor ough tightness wit-hout the necessity of replen- A hydroscopio agent may be introduced into the passages in a powdered state or in a molten state, the agent subsequently becoming solid.

as many spiral passages as deemed desirable,

meatc the fibers ot' the wood and maintain the wood, will absorb moisture from the atmos.

ishingthepassageswitht'reslisuppliesot'water.

Although I have referred to my invention as applied to barrels, it will be ev/ident that it is applicable to other wooden vessels, and may he used to advantage in all eases when the contents of the vessel are of such :t -penetmting character tha-t the preventing of lealinge has been a matter difcnlt to accomplish.

It will also be evident that the passa-ges may be formed in the staves in @variety of ways Without departing from the main features of my invention.

I elztinl as my invention, and desire to secure loy- Letters Paten t l1 A barrel or other vessel in the solid wood composing which passages are formed, sub- JOSEPH BRAKELEY.

XVitnesses:

l-I. HoWsoN,

W.l J. R.l DELANY. 

